Just a little blog for posting various creations for the BECMI / Rules Cyclopedia edition of Dungeons and Dragons. All hail the Red Box!
Updated whenever possible with a little something, whether a monster or spell or item or just a little list of whatevers.

Friday, July 31, 2009

Fire spirits touched by death, ghostflames resemble torso-sized orbs of flickering blue-green fire. Constantly surrounded by a nimbus of pale greenish light in addition to their own fires, ghostflames occasionally spawn small subspheres that orbit incessantly or drift away to investigate the ghostflame's environment. Bitter creatures that loathe the taint of death inside them, ghostflames hunt undead creatures obsessively and may aid any who plan to fight against the walking dead.

Ghostflames attack with gouts of fire extending up to 15' away, or else with a subsphere; regardless of the method used, each attack inflicts 1-8 hit points of damage and sets the target alight on 2-in-6. Against undead creatures -- or any who habitually wield necromantic power -- a ghostflame's fires inflict double damage.

A ghostflame may also attempt to take over a target, melding with its chosen "mount" in a form of possession. If the target fails a save vs. death ray, the ghostflame takes control of the victim, granting a controllable flame-aura that inflicts 1-4 hit points of damage but forcing a Wisdom check whenever the victim wishes to act independently. A ghostflame may be driven out with the appropriate rituals or clerical magic.

Ghostflames are immune to fire and to non-magical weapons. They may be turned as undead of their Hit Dice.

Long-limbed and proud in bearing and manner both, ankeri are hooved humanoids whose heads resemble regal gazelles with sweeping horns. Their skin is coated with a dense short pelt of dusty fawn picked out in dense black markings and facial stripes, and both sexes bear dark, ribbed, wide-curving horns with wickedly sharp tips. Their desert-like colours are -- regardless of actual material used -- set off by clothing and ornaments of white and gold. Though not a caste-based society ankeri value rank and prestige, and will invoke honour duels with the least of provocations.

Ankeri prefer to fight with curved sabre-like blades that inflict 1-8 hit points of damage, or else will arm themselves with long stabbing spears. For every six ankeri there will be a 1+5 Hit Dice duelist; and the clanlord is always an ankeri of 2 Hit Dice who fights as a 4 HD creature and wields two blades.

Sometimes even the unlikliest of things can be a threat. The marrowlight is a predatory gourd, a pumpkin the size of one's torso with an outer skin of whitish green or patchy slate-blue and a mass of dense and coiling vines. Perfectly harmless -- until potential prey wanders too close: then the marrowlight's ragged maw opens wide, revealing a gullet lined with irises of sharp seed teeth, and the pits of its "eyes" and lashing vines erupt in ghostly fire.

A marrowlight is quick in combat despite its inefficient means of movement, gaining a +2 to initiative checks. It attacks with two sharp fiery coils of vine and its jagged bite, inflicting 1-3 and 1-6 hit points of damage respectively; the ghostly flames cling to the victim, inflicting a further 1-3 hit points of damage per round for three rounds or until the flames are extinguished.

The flesh of a marrowlight is a deep red and -- surprisingly -- edible; 1-4 meals may be obtained from a single marrowlight, and each meal consumed offers a +2 to saving throws for an hour.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Crescent's Light: Enchanted objects from the Kingdom often combined functions in unusual ways and presented them in unexpected manners. Both of these qualities are well displayed in Crescent's Light, an object of noted offensive and defensive utility.

When unactivated, Crescent's Light is a slim coronet or tiara, a semicircle of magically-hardened gold (though some say its pale shade suggests electrum) bearing a single small, perfect ruby on its centrepoint.

While worn, it appears to have no other function other than to offer a +1 bonus to saving throws. However, Crescent's Light may be used as a ranged weapon with an effective distance of 50' -- when thrown it spins and its edges become razor sharp, inflicting 1-6 hit points of damage and functioning as a weapon with a +2 enchantment. Creatures of chaotic alignment or dark nature suffer a double damage from Crescent Light's "blades". This is not its only function; once a day the possessor of Crescent Light may throw the tiara with no intent to harm, and it will instead scatter a golden light over up to four people which nullifies poison, disease and charm effects.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

QuetarArmour Class: 6Hit Dice: 4+2*Move: 150' (50')fly 210' (70')Attacks: 2 claws + 1 biteDamage: 1-4/1-4/1-6No. Appearing: 1-2 (1-6)Save As: M5Morale: 9Treasure Type: MAlignment: NeutralXP Value: 200Quetar are creatures of a vaguely feline build the size of a large pony. Their hind limbs more closely resemble those of a deer, and bear hooves, while their forefeet are avian claws. The neck of a quetar is long and graceful; its head is large-eyed and avian, with a short and slighty curved beak more suitable for fruit than killing prey. The pelt of a quetar is a coat of deep and brilliantly emerald feathers, as is its short curling crest and long, trailing plume of a tail; all are highly valued by many cultures.

In combat a quetar attacks with foreclaws and beak, inflicting 1-4 and 1-6 hit points of damage respectively. However, a successful bite attack causes a transformation in the victim; the individual bitten will die in 1-6 rounds, transmuted into pulpy fruit-like plant matter, unless the "poison" is nullified or some form of curse removal applied.

Slick-fleshed and pallid -- even while oozing and drooling brackish "blood" -- kekir are spindly-limbs and blank-gazed creatures. Though they may resemble weed-choked, dark-haired humans, no human possesses the blank corpse-white eyes of a kekir -- and no true human is little more than clinging, syrupy black fluid bound into shape under a film of skin. Kekir may dissolve their bodies at will into living ropy puddles of inky fluid that seep through any unprotected crack.

Whether attacking with spindly claws or lashing liquid whips, a kekir strikes twice, inflicting 1-6 hit points of damage with each strike. If both attacks hit a single target the kekir will try to ooze into the victim's breathing passages, causing death by drowning in four rounds unless a save vs. death is made and the kekir forced out. A light spell cast on the victim will allow another saving throw.

Weapons of all kinds, enchanted or no, pass through a kekir's fluid body, inflicting only half damage.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The last few days have seen me at a low ebb (July is always the worst month at work for me because of the summer events and the attendant upswell of Drunken Idiots -- I work security, believe me this is an issue), for which I apologize.

I apologize further that I may be another few days collecting my own wits back together again, turning this week into an unpredicted hiatus.

On the upside, I've been slowly putting together jot-notes for more critters at a rate I haven't had in months, so things may start looking up again shortly!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Saffron Scarf of Azure: A expansive swath of golden yellow linen, fringed and shot through with golden filaments from a phoenix's plumage, the Saffron Scarf of Azure is long enough to be used as a sash and broad enough to be worn as a heavy shawl. Nonetheless, it is intended as a voluminous scarf. It also -- oddly enough, for such a type of enchanted object -- is well broken-in, its fabric crushed and softened by years of wear. Despite its name, there is not a touch of azure or any other shade of blue to be found anywhere in it.

While wearing the Saffron Scarf, an individual is protected from trials which would ordinarily be fatal. The wearer of the Scarf is granted a Hit Die of "phantom" hit points (to be rolled normally), and receives a +2 bonus to saving throws vs. poison, death ray or turning to stone. More esoterically, once a day the Scarf may be used to transport the wearer to any known location within twenty miles. The Scarf conceals the alignment of the wearer, and grants a +2 bonus to initial reaction checks if the wearer somehow incorporates music.

For such a strange and notable artefact, surprisingly little is known of its origin or creator; yet it does not appear to date from the First Aeons. It may be of neu craft, or of one of the many spellweavers of the eastern Empire. What little can be agreed upon is that it has always been recorded to be in the possession of a human or human-like -- and roguish -- individual.

The smallest of the drake breeds, the lacephyr is also the most gregarious and has been readily trained by humans and humanoids, notably the inhabitants of the mountainous Northlands. Ranging from the size of a falcon to a housecat in the body, a lacephyr is notable for its long trailing tail and its large, dark-opal eyes. The scales of wild lacephyr are found in many colours -- deep, if dull, blues, greens, roses, ambers, creams and earth-colours -- with slightly darker mottled feathers. The various strains of long-domesticated lacephyr are considerably more vibrant.

Lacephyr attack exclusively from the air, inflicting a total of 1-4 hit points of damage from their claws and fangs. The venom of a lacephyr dazes for a single round on a failed save (with a +2 bonus to the roll) -- but the drake may also spit its venom every four rounds up to a range of 10'. The venom ignites in the air, inflicting 2-5 hit points of damage on contact.

Uniformly lightly built and scaled in a pale bluish-grey, its feathering a few shades darker, the helian drake appears slender and relatively harmless compared to other drake breeds. Scattered amongst its normal scales are keeled scales of a luminescent, milky hue; in dim light or darkness -- or when the creature wills it -- these scales, as well as the drake's eyes and claws, light with a bewitching green glow. Helian drakes take advantage of the fascination their lights can provoke whenever possible.

In combat a helian drake attacks with claws and bite as do other drakes, inflicting 1-4 and 1-6 hit points of damage respectively. Their venomous bite dulls the senses, penalizing initiative and Armour Class by -2 for 2-8 turns if a save is failed; this penalty is cumulative with the mesmerism of their light-scales, which cause a -2 penalty to all rolls if the victim fails a save vs. charm.

Scaled in mottles duns and greys, with variegated feathers in browns and darker greys on wings and legs, the cerastes is a stalking, cunning sort of predator. Against its cryptic colouration its lemon-yellow eyes stand out brightly -- as do the paired long, low crests of translucent reddish horn that run the length of its skull. Cerastes are belligerent creatures, territorial and defensive. The crests of a cerastes may each be powered and administered as a cure for poison.

A cerastes attacks from ambush whenever possible, diving to attack with claws and bite and inflicting 1-4 and 1-8 hit points of damage respectively. If lunging from a perch or trapped upon the ground a cerastes will bite only, using its claws as stabilizers. The corrosive saliva of a cerastes functions as a biological acid; on the round following a bite from this drake, the victim suffers another 1-6 hit points of damage.

Largest of the known breeds of drake, the aeolian drake masses as large in the body as a good-sized horse and -- with the correct breeding and training -- is as amenable to being used as a mount. Aeolian drakes have smaller, rounder scales in variegated patterns of violet and grey, violet-black feathering shading to grey, and brilliant yellow eyes. Slightly stockier and shorter in neck and tail, aeolian drakes prefer a head-on approach to most obstacles.

In combat an aeolian drake bites, inflicting 1-10 hit points of damage, and unlike smaller drakes an aeolian drake seldom attacks with its claws. The poison of an aeolian drake is relatively weak, causing only 2-8 turns of dizziness if the saving throw is failed; if its bite is not enough to subdue an opponent an aeolian prefers to use its frozen wind if possible -- beating its wings rapidly, the drake creates a field of bitter cold in a 5x30' line, inflicting 2-12 hit points of damage.

Long and sinuous of line even for a drake, the syrene is lean-bodied, shallow-chested and possessed of an excessively long neck and tail. Though it prefers to be airborne when at all possible, when ground-bound the syrene is as likely to glide serpentlike along the ground as it is to walk upon its legs; it also climbs through undergrowth, grasping with its claws. The syrene is occasionally prone to aggression; the size of a large wolf, it is rare amongst drakes in being of a single colour -- in this case, pure white.

From the air a syrene attacks with claws and bite, inflicting 1-4 and 1-6 hit points of damage respectively; when on the ground it bites unless a target comes within range of its claws while it is coiled, in which case it will also strike with claws. The fangs of a syrene are serrated and suitable for tearing gobbets of flesh -- any wound inflicted by a syrene's bite will continue to bleed at a rate of 2 hit points per round until treated.

One of the smaller breeds of drake -- roughly the size of the average dog in the body -- the hypnale has dove-coloured mottled scales, brassy wings, leg feathering and dorsal stripe, and dark eyes. Its ears are tipped with tufts, as is its excessively long tail. Quiet and retiring creatures as drakes go, hypnale are not inclined towards conflict and prefer to flee when possible except when defending their lairs or eggs. By inclination, hypnale prefer the blood of their prey.

In combat a hypnale will bite, inflicting 1-4 hit points of damage; if there is enough room for the drake to be airborne it will dive at targets with talons and fangs, inflicting 1-3 hit points per talon in addition to its bite damage. The bite of a hypnale is venomous; if the victim fails a save vs. poison they will fall unconscious for 2-8 turns. A second save then determines whether the victim will receive another 1-4 hit points of damage or -- on a failed save -- die. A hypnale will seek to drink the blood of unconscious victims at a rate of one hit point per round.

"Of interest to all those worthies who call themselves Naturalists are the Drakes, or Dragon-Serpents. These draconic beasts reveal themselves as akin to the Wyvern and Lindwurm in their natures, and yet a greater step again from the purity that is Dragon; of their own peculiarities there are many, and worthy of comment.

"In stance the Drake resembles the common Wyvern, being of two limbs and two wings. The gape is wide, and filled with a multitude of perilous fangs; and much as the Wyvern, the Drake is no match for the Dragon in intellect. But in the detail lies the great differences.

"For the Drake bears no venomous Barb in its long and coiling tail, though some of the kinds be venomous in nature. Its limbs resemble more the Pounces of a Falcon or Fish-Eagle, with great curving talons and a fringe of feathers; likewise the Wings are broad and feathered, as unlike to those of a Dragon as to those of a Dragon-fly, though the remainder of its form be cloaked in close-lying, patterned Scales. The colours of Drakes are varied, both by individual and by breed, from the white of Adamant to the near-black of storm clouds.

"In the head of the Drake are still other singularities. In conformation the skull of a Drake is much like a meeting of Dragon and Wolf; in a like manner the head bears two tufted and expressive Ears as those of a canine or Deer, where draconian horns would rightfully rest.

"In disposition do some breeds of Drake resemble the Canine tribe also, being amenable to breaking to the leash, at it were; it is perhaps a great fortune that the greatest of Drakes, the Wind-Drake or Gareth's Drake, possesses the greatest potential. Indeed, these Drakes of the Wind are tamed to bear a human rider in the rarified kingdoms of the North and so take the place of Horses.

Of the lesser Drakes, the Cerastes is known to be used as a guardian of noble fortunes, and the Least Drake a companion and hunting-kite for the Northman as the southerner may course Hawks."

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Sunjari's Pitiless Barb: Without the aid of magic, this neu bow would be nothing more than a strange and fragile curiosity; not fashioned of ash or horn, it is entirely composed of a network of miniscule golden gears, silvery levers and other clockworks encased in a perfectly transparent "bowstave" of many-jointed crystal. When the stave is flexed or its string pulled, the clockworks inside speed up and whirl in a frenzy of activity.

Sunjari's Pitiless Barb is a short bow +1. Though it is not a strong weapon in inself, as enchanted weapons so, upon the command of its wielder its ammunition is transmuted to crystal and brass and sheathed in a nimbus of sparkling, icy blue. Any damage inflicted by such a transmuted arrow may not be healed by magic -- one hit point is regained per day of rest, but no more. Such transmutation draws on the archer's strength of personality; the number permitted per day is equal to the archer's Charisma bonus.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Yes, yes; I know I have one-and-a-half projects in the pipe already. (And to be honest, I wonder if I haven't overreached myself there ...)

But the idea has settled in my head that writing a little gazetteer for, say, Labyrinth Lord set in Bronze Age Egypt could be damned fun. It's certainly a topic I'm familiar with! -- which would be a great help in staying motivated.

Descriptions of changes to classes, some new weapons and gear; a goodly handful of settlement descriptions with a bit of tweaking for gameplay, and a flock of gods to go with; a smattering of spells, a clutch of critters ... Those grimoire ideas would fit in there like a glove ...

A living statue of black iron is a construct utterly without mercy. It exists, though a thinking construct, only to carry out the tasks it has been ordered with swift and unhesitating action. Black iron statues are a bewildering combination of sharp edges and curved -- almost bulbous -- surfaces, and are, as their name implies, constructed solely of shining black iron. Most black iron statues are created in the form of stylized predators, but some take the from of monstrous beetles or centipedes; this last variant is often confused with the iron centipede, which is in fact a living creature.

Black iron statues attack twice, inflicting 1-10 hit points of damage with each successful strike. The statue's presence is enervating, even when not attacking or even moving; any creature within a 50' radius of a black iron statue receives a -4 penalty to initiative, and a -2 to to-hit rolls if a save vs. death ray is failed. Affected creatures move at half speed until two rounds out of the statue's range of influence.

Magnificently horrible beasts, korrsakh could only be mistaken for horses in very bad light. Their coal-black coats, thick and rough, are scattered with keels of dense scales of onyx and, rarely, a reptilian greenish-gold that matches their eyes; their manes are long and tangled, shot through with spines, and their tails long and serpentine. A korrsakh's predatory muzzle is packed with rending teeth, and its muscular body and strong legs end with compact, tearing claws and long curved dewclaws instead of a horse's hooves. Korrsakh are terrors; and yet there are abiding rumours that the eastern gnoll tribes have succeeded in breaking korrsakh to the bit.

A korrsakh lunges into combat, lashing out with foreclaws and fangs and inflicting 1-6 and 1-8 hit points of damage respectively. Its bite is venomous and laced with septic bacteria, causing three times the normal bite damage plus five rounds of debilitating nausea if a save vs. poison is failed. Three times a day it may evoke darkness (as the magic-user spell), in which it may act without penalty.

Korrsakh take half damage from all weapons save for those forged of silver or cold iron.

An unexpectedly double-jointed animal the size of a very large rabbit or small dog, a glia resembles a tiny high-rumped antelope with distinctly sciurid traits. Its soft pelt is a buff grey, its tail a thick dense plume longer than the rest of its body; its head, despite its curving horns and long upper tusks, is vaguely squirrel-like and packed with teeth as suitable for gnawing as or grazing. Strangest of all are the long grasping claws a glia bears instead of dewclaws, suitable for climbing trees, and the expansive folds of skin along its flanks that link together its limbs -- for if a glia resembles any squirrel at all, it would be a flying squirrel. Not surprisingly, glia are a common prey of the abi.

Like most herbivorous animals, a glia prefers to flee than to fight. Capable of running at a respectable pace, a glia is just as likely to launch itself from a height -- or bound high in mid-run to glide, startling most predators for those crucial moments needed for escape. If cornered or defending its young, however, a glia will attack with dewclaws and sharp tusks for 1-3 hit points of damage.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Spawned in the deepest of cold -- whether the northern wastes or the ground zero of a powerful spell of ice -- the diamond storm is part creature, part force of nature. A diamond storm appears as a great whirling mass of glittering razor-sharp snow crystals, particles of ice and bitterly cold winds, seeded through with small orbs of intensely sapphire blue. Some of these shimmering glassy orbs remain behind after the dissipation of a storm and can be highly valued as treasure depending on size, hue and clarity.

A diamond storm attacks by lashing out with icy bursts from its main mass, scoring targets with cold and slashing ice for 1-6 hit points of damage per strike. Every three rounds it may create a burst of deepfreeze in a 40' diameter, coating every non-living surface with a slick patina of ice that causes all attempting to move -- let alone attack -- to fall prone and lose a round of action on 2-in-6. A diamond storm may choose forgo all further evocation of deepfreeze's slippery effects to instead produce a layer of supernaturally cold ice that inflicts 1-2 hit points of damage per round.

Diamond storms take no damage from cold and half again as much damage from fire. Despite their resemblances, diamond storms are not elementals of any type and are not subject to attacks or spells meant to target elementals.

The size of an elf or a slight human, a dreamthief is a golden grotesque, a gargoyle of orange-gold scales and coppery armoured hide. Barbed and horned, armed with sharp curving talons and saw-edged wings, the creature is solitary; equally at home in a dungeon or in the depths of the greatest urban sprawls. Though the dreamthief has no fear of combat and may pull some shreds of sustenance from it, it is more feared as an unseen presence that gnaws at one's sleeping mind.

When in combat, a dreamthief attacks in one of two ways; diving and raking with all four claws, inflicting 1-4 hit points of damage per successful claw attack, or landing -- or latching onto a specific victim -- which forces the dreamthief to lose its maneuverability and hindclaw attacks in favour of two claws and two wing-buffets that inflict 1-6 hit points of damage each. For every two rounds a dreamthief is engaged in combat it gains a +1 bonus to all rolls as it feeds from the emotional states of its targets.

Sleeping individuals have more to fear from the dreamthief. The gargoyle can sense sleeping creatures within 400', and will invade their dreaming minds to siphon their spirit away; if a roll against death ray is failed, the victim loses 1-4 points of Wisdom. A second failed check indicates that the dreamthief has dug a spirit-link into the victim's self, and will continue to devour 1-2 points of Wisdom every night without contest unless destroyed. Without the dreamthief's influence lost Wisdom may be regained at a rate of one point per day.